Meet Robyn Rausch | Play Therapist & Speaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Robyn Rausch and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Robyn, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I began Calming Communities as an informational platform in 2016. The thought back then was that I was so frustrated with all the information about child development, mental health needs, and learning that was not getting to parents and teachers. The invention of MRIs and their increasing availability for research, we have all this new information about how child brains work. A lot of the images prove old versions of parenting that are behavior focused and reward and consequence focused are not only ineffective but sometimes harmful. But all this information is largely locked up in scientific journals that are expensive and difficult to access so parents and teachers, the people supporting our children daily do not have access! Calming Communities was designed to provide greater access to this information through community talks and social media.

This past year I expanded Calming Communities to include a clinical mental health practice, Calming Communities Counseling & Wellness, PLLC. This expansion came about to provide a while wellness hub for families with children who have complex needs. Some of these children have experienced trauma, attachment disruption, or significant stressors that have changed their needs, but many simply have neurodivergent types of brains. These children often need many supports from Occupational Therapy to Mental Health Therapy to Nutrition Management. Currently, Calming Communities Counseling & Wellness, PLLC provides mental health therapy for children, teens, adults, and families, but we hope to expand to include these other services so we can support families in one convenient location reducing parent burnout from running around to a dozen different agencies all week and increasing the effectiveness of the treatments through consistent provider collaboration

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I often find it difficult to describe what I do because I work through a lot of different roles. My main ambition is supporting children and families to create a calmer and more connected life. I do this most often by connecting with families and teachers through play therapy and community talks, but I also supervise younger therapists and provide trainings to therapists doing their own work with families. On top of this I publish children’s books on some child mental and emotional health needs such as boundaries, social skills, and emotional regulation.

I don’t think anyone would ever say getting where they are was an easy task. My path began like most with difficulty deciding exactly what that path was. Along the way I have struggled needing training, finding the right supervisors, and building my professional identity while maintaining my own self-care. The hardest part of my path is always feeling confident that I am on the right path and finding the resources I need to keep going. The best advice I ever received for this was from Lisa Dion. She explains in her Business of Therapy course that everything is “on the way, not in the way.” But this she means that every challenge is teaching us something we need to be successful at the path we are on, and every time we feel lost its either because we needed something from this side path, or we needed to be more authentic with ourselves to succeed at our goals. Everything we go through that feels like we have gotten off track is actually just part of the path we didn’t know we needed to get there.

The most important thing to know about Calming Communities is that we aren’t here to fix you or your family. We are here to help you learn about who you are and who your children are so you can help them grow into the best they can be, and you can be connected to them and enjoy the time you have with them. We don’t make it so there are never problems or conflict, but we help you make it so you and your children can thrive being your authentic self.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is such a difficult question. I am such a homebody kind of person, but there are a few places I love. My family and I love to go to Minute Maid park to see the Astros. We spend a lot of time fishing and kayaking at parks like Kickerillo, Sommerville Lake and Jessie Jones. Our favorite brunch spot is Another Broken Egg . They have the most amazing breakfast food and really fun drinks.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I can think of a dozen people who deserve recognition in my story, but the person I am most grateful to at this particular moment is Lisa Dion. Her example as a play therapist and leader in the field of child mental health has been extraordinarily inspiring. She also has inspired and supported my business building through her Business of Therapy courses and accountability groups. Her calm, centered, and positive way of being and connecting has provided me the energy and confidence needed to work towards my dreams.

Website: www.CalmingCommunities.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calmingcommunities/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/Calming-Communities

Twitter: https://twitter.com/robynrausch8

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalmingCommunities

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CalmingCommunities

Image Credits
Zachary Reyna – All photos